J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly really likes comic books.

In order to fully grasp the scope of his comic book addiction, and to see how his spending habits had changed over time, he used Quicken:

Tonight I dug through four years of Quicken data to see if my comic book spending habits have changed. (They feel like they have, but I wasn’t sure.) Here’s what I found:

* In 2004, I spent $1640.10 on comic books. That fall, I decided I wanted to eliminate my debt.
* Apparently my finances weren’t a big priority, though. In 2005, I spent $2810.52 on comics.
* My spending peaked in 2006, during which I spent $3,202.91 on my beloved DC Archives and Marvel Masterworks.
* This year, however, I’ve only spent $807.89 on comics!

My worst period of comic book spending came just before I started Get Rich Slowly. From October 2005 to March 2006, I spent $3519.34 on comics — almost $600 a month. (That money would nearly have been enough to fully fund a Roth IRA!) During this time, I was spending everything I had freed from paying off debts — and my Christmas bonus! — to buy comics.

J.D. has curbed his comic spending problem and offers some tips for those of you who want to enjoy comics for less money.

We like this tip:

I purchase only those titles that interest me. This sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to come home from the comic book store with a stack of Aquaman books. Aquaman? Good grief.

Seriously, Aquaman is crap.

Using Quicken to Analyze and Correct Bad Spending Habits [Get Rich Slowly]
(Photo:DaddyNewt)

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